Liquid crystal display devices, which have characteristics such as a light weight, a thin profile, and low power consumption, have been used as display devices for devices such as OA equipment (e.g. personal computers) and personal digital assistants in various fields. Liquid crystal display devices have also been used for gaming machines such as slot machines. A liquid crystal display device for gaming machines is mounted to the front surface of the housing of a gaming machine.
A liquid crystal display panel included in a liquid crystal display device for gaming machines has basically the same structure as common display devices in terms of having an image display portion capable of displaying images, but has a transmissive portion at the center of the image display portion. For example, a slot machine including such a liquid crystal display device lets the player view the rotatable reel placed inside the housing from the outside through the transmissive portion.
Hereinafter, an object visible to the viewer through the transmissive portion of a liquid crystal display panel is also referred to as a display object. The display object is disposed behind the liquid crystal display device and the liquid crystal display panel.
Liquid crystal display devices for gaming machines and gaming machines which have been disclosed are described below.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a liquid crystal display device including a transmissive liquid crystal display panel disposed at the front-surface side of a rotatable reel, and a backlight that is disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and the rotatable reel and illuminates the liquid crystal display panel from the back-surface side of the panel. The liquid crystal display panel includes an image display portion in which a liquid crystal material is enclosed between a pair of substrates and which is capable of displaying images, and a transmissive portion which faces the rotatable reel and in which a liquid crystal material is not enclosed.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a liquid crystal display device including a transmissive liquid crystal display panel disposed at the front-surface side of a display medium providing variable display, and a pair of polarizing plates disposed on the respective outer surfaces of the liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel includes an image display portion capable of displaying images, a transmissive display portion having substantially a quadrangular shape corresponding to the region in which a display medium is arranged, and a light-shielding portion arranged between the image display portion and the transmissive display portion. Each of the pair of polarizing plates includes an opening that has substantially a quadrangular shape corresponding to the region in which the display medium is arranged. An edge defining the opening is positioned in the light-shielding portion of the liquid crystal display panel.
Patent Literature 3 discloses a technique of forming an opening not having the polarizing properties in the polarizing plate that covers light-transmitting portions in the substantial center portion of a liquid crystal display in the case of mounting the liquid crystal display to the front decorative plate of a gaming machine providing slot-machine-like display.
Patent Literatures 4 to 6 each disclose a slot machine including a liquid crystal display panel mounted in the effect-presenting panel; a sub-reel device with sub-reels disposed at the back-surface side of the display window formed in the liquid crystal display panel; and a main reel device with main reels, on the upper side of the effect-presenting panel.
Also, liquid crystal display devices including a fixed display portion in which a color layer having a predetermined pattern is formed have been developed. For example, Patent Literature 7 discloses a liquid crystal display device including: a liquid crystal cell; a polarizing component provided on at least one of the front and back sides of the liquid crystal cell; a first light-transmitting substrate provided on the front side of the front polarizing component; a fixed display portion that is formed from a first light-transmitting color layer and is formed on the first light-transmitting substrate; and a polarizing-component-removed portion that is formed in at least one of the polarizing components and corresponds to the fixed display portion.